Thames’s demeanor visibly changes when he talks about his major league debut on June 10, 2002, at Yankee Stadium. A smile crosses his face, his voice quickens, and he changes from the serious-minded veteran fighting for a roster spot to the excited young outfielder from Mississippi who had played only one year of high school baseball.

Called up from Class AAA Columbus that day to replace the injured Juan Rivera on the roster, Thames crushed the first pitch he saw from Arizona’s Randy Johnson into the netting in left-center. The crowd of 45,698 chanted his name, and Manager Joe Torre and shortstop Derek Jeter shoved him out of the dugout for a curtain call. After the game — a 7-5 Yankees victory — catcher Alberto Castillo mashed a shaving-cream pie into Thames’s face.

“That’s the best moment I’ve ever had in baseball,” Thames said. “Ever.”

Watching the tape reminds Thames — a 30th-round pick of the Yankees in 1996 — how much work it took to reach the major leagues, and how much work it takes to stay there.

The Yankees traded Thames to Texas for Ruben Sierra in 2003. He had six productive seasons as a part-time player for Detroit, hitting 99 of his 101 career home runs for the Tigers, before rejoining the Yankees last month on a minor league contract. Thames said that had any other team matched the Yankees’ offer — $900,000 if he makes the team, and up to $900,000 in incentives — he would not have taken it.

Signed for his power and prowess against left-handed pitching, the right-handed-hitting Thames has had a tough spring. The Yankees have not faced many left-handed starters, and after going 1 for 4 with a home run against the right-hander Matt Albers in Yankees’ 11-7 victory over Baltimore on Monday, he is hitting .143 (6 for 42) with two homers and two runs batted in. He has also struck out a team-high 17 times.

But Thames went 1 for 3 against the Phillies’ veteran left-hander Jamie Moyer last Friday night, and hit his first home run of the spring on Saturday against another left-hander, his former Detroit teammate Nate Robertson. Thames leisurely circled the bases while Robertson eyeballed him. Next time up, Robertson struck him out on three pitches.

“You’ve just got to keep working,” Thames said. “You just try to make sure you have good at-bats.”

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With the Rule 5 draftee Jamie Hoffmann returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thames, 33, should make the team as a right-handed bat off the bench. Tuesday is an important split-squad day for Thames, who will start the night game at Steinbrenner Field against the Toronto left-hander Marc Rzepczynski.

“Right now, he’s the last man standing,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “But I still need him to compete for the job because I don’t know who might become available. I know this is where he wants to be.””

Because Kevin Long, the hitting coach, throws left-handed, Thames sees plenty of left-handed pitching. He has more career home runs off right-handers (61) than left-handers (40), but his .516 career slugging percentage against left-handers intrigued the Yankees. Over the last three seasons against left-handers, he hit .263 with 22 homers and 59 R.B.I. in 316 at-bats. Since 2006, he has averaged a home run every 14.52 at-bats, the fourth-best rate in the American League among players with at least 1,100 at-bats.

“All the history speaks for itself,” said the third-base coach Rob Thomson, who was the director of player development when Thames advanced through Class AA and AAA. “He can hit. He’s always hit. And he really can hit left-handed pitching.”

Thames said he had not asked Manager Joe Girardi, or anyone else, where he stood. Girardi said he would make the final cuts Thursday or Friday.

“Things are winding down, and I’m anxious to know,” Thames said. “We’ll just have to see what happens.”

With two days off among the first five days of the season, Joe Girardi said that the fifth starter, Phil Hughes, might begin the season in the minors to get work. That would allow the Yankees to retain, at least temporarily, the long relievers Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves. Aceves is day-to-day with a sore back, Girardi said. ... The four-time Olympic track gold medalist Michael Johnson addressed the players before they left for Sarasota. Chad Bohling, the club’s director of mental conditioning, invited Johnson, with Girardi’s approval, to discuss how athletes who reached a goal could further motivate themselves. “You celebrate, then you put it behind you and find more goals,” Johnson said. ... Mark Teixeira left Monday’s game against the Orioles in the second inning after being hit on the right elbow by a pitch from Jeremy Guthrie. Teixeira was examined by an Orioles team physician and found to have a contusion to the elbow. He will be re-evaluated Tuesday in Tampa.

A version of this article appears in print on March 30, 2010, on Page B15 of the New York edition with the headline: Originally a Yankee, Thames Eagerly Pursues a Return. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe